Stage 9 TDS: Liestal ITT - 26.9km

[perico]

Vande Velde even worse at 55th.

He'll be fine come tour time. He did a relatively similar performance last year at the Tour de Suisse, and his injuries were much more severe. He's riding himself back into form and will likely be fine once the Tour starts.

 

[metaCYCLE]

The sad thing about this is that it looks like the BMC guys have come into form two months too late to help Evans at the Giro.

oh... so they're finally back from Holland?

 

[Tangled Tango]

I don't think Lance will be weaker than last year, but conversely, I don't think he will be stronger (certainly nothing to date would support such a conclusion). More important, I think will be the changes in the course, the projected depth of the field and, I think this point is not addressed enough, he's going to have to race AC every stage to win. On the latter point, he did that exactly once. Verbier.

I agree that Lance won´t be weaker this year, maybe a little better in the TT than last year, but that still means losing time. The real problem for him in the 2010 Tour is no TTT. Without that he has very little chance of making the top five let alone the podium. He may be able to limit his losses in the Alps, but the steeper Pyrenees will most likely crush him and he won´t gain in the ITT. It´s hard to see where he can come up with any time gains. If he and JB are as desperate for results as they were last year, I fear some nasty tactics from RS (probably on the cobbles), which would appear to be they´re only hope.

 

[Sydney Sider]

I guess having the KOM jersey, sprints jersey, points jersey 4th overall and two stage wins ain't bad going into the tour for the mighty red devils!

I thought team Sky were the Red Devils , well according to Wiggins anyway.

 

[Parrot23]

The real problem for him in the 2010 Tour is no TTT. Without that he has very little chance of making the top five let alone the podium.

Aha. That is a good point. I hadn't thought of that. TTT played a big role last year.

 

[auscyclefan94]

I thought team Sky were the Red Devils , well according to Wiggins anyway.

In January, bmc called themselves the red devils. I guess that is approrpriate with the jersey.

The sad thing about this is that it looks like the BMC guys have come into form two months too late to help Evans at the Giro.

Completely different squad. Morabito was actually suppose to be riding the giro but got bronchitis. Shame really.

Is there any footage of the presentations?

 

[kurtinsc]

I agree that Lance won´t be weaker this year, maybe a little better in the TT than last year, but that still means losing time. The real problem for him in the 2010 Tour is no TTT. Without that he has very little chance of making the top five let alone the podium. He may be able to limit his losses in the Alps, but the steeper Pyrenees will most likely crush him and he won´t gain in the ITT. It´s hard to see where he can come up with any time gains. If he and JB are as desperate for results as they were last year, I fear some nasty tactics from RS (probably on the cobbles), which would appear to be they´re only hope.

Without the TTT last year he would still have been top 5... I think he might even still have been 3rd (or perhaps just a bit off of Frank at 3rd).

Right now I'd say he looks as strong as he did at the Tour last year. If he is still on his way up form wise, then he could do quite well... perhaps podium. If he mainains his current form for the full 3 weeks in July... then he should probably finish around 5th or 6th. If he peaked and will be heading down in the second week... probably a struggle for top 10.

 

[kurtinsc]

Aha. That is a good point. I hadn't thought of that. TTT played a big role last year.

It may have in terms of the tactics of those who lost big time... but in terms of time it didn't.

Frank and Lance would have been tied without the team time trial. Wiggins would have been 18 seconds closer, but would have ended up 5th. Nibali would have passed Kloden for 6th.

 

[BroDeal]

Without the TTT last year he would still have been top 5...

Facts not in evidence. The TTT eliminated several contenders who saw that the p!ss poor mountain stages offered no chance to get the time back. They pretty much gave up.

 

[Cerberus]

Facts not in evidence. The TTT eliminated several contenders who saw that the p!ss poor mountain stages offered no chance to get the time back. They pretty much gave up.

Now those are facts not in evidence. If Cadel, or Sastre or Menchov had the legs to contend for podium spots they should have done better even after being dropped from the GC. They could have gone for stage wins and either have gotten them or at least have made much better efforts than they did. Sure we can never know with 100% certainty how things would have been if there's been no TTT, but by all appearances LA would still have been in the top 5.

 

[Dedelou]

Facts not in evidence. The TTT eliminated several contenders who saw that the p!ss poor mountain stages offered no chance to get the time back. They pretty much gave up.

I have a bit of memory deficit so who was it that was in contention last year and ended giving up trying hard on the Ventoux because it was such "px2ss poor climb it that it was really not worth trying? I can't remember any names. help.

 

[The Hitch]

As well as the ttt. Lance got lucky with the Htc columbia break. That got him 40 seconds over everyone else. That would have been enough for wiggans to overtake him, no? Besides usually when there isnt a ttt theres a itt instead. Wiggins is a better tt er than lance so would have gain time over lance rather than lost it to him.
Lance was very lucky to come 3rd.

 

[kurtinsc]

Now those are facts not in evidence. If Cadel, or Sastre or Menchov had the legs to contend for podium spots they should have done better even after being dropped from the GC. They could have gone for stage wins and either have gotten them or at least have made much better efforts than they did. Sure we can never know with 100% certainty how things would have been if there's been no TTT, but by all appearances LA would still have been in the top 5.

Sastre and Evans certainly didn't "give up". They were there on Verbier and finished ahead of Lance.

But they both failed utterly on the Grand Bornand stage (Evans actually lost time the stage before that). If the TTT was that deflating, I can't see why they would have tried on Verbier before "really quitting".

Sastre was ranked one place behind Frank Schleck after Verbier. Evans was a minute back of Frank. If Frank was able to get back and compete for a podium spot, then both Evans and Sastre could have as well... but they either chose not to or were unable to. The effort they put forth on Verbier leads me to think that they were just not capable of it rather then not trying.

 

[BroDeal]

I have a bit of memory deficit so who was it that was in contention last year and ended giving up trying hard on the Ventoux because it was such "px2ss poor climb it that it was really not worth trying? I can't remember any names. help.

Armstrong
Wigans
A. Schleck
Contador

The only rider who tried to gain time was F. Schleck, and he did not have the legs that day. No one else was willing to take advantage of Schleck's bad day, so they all rode up in procession. It was a completely worthless stage, just p!ss poor.

 

[Cerberus]

Armstrong
Wigans
A. Schleck
Contador

The only rider who tried to gain time was F. Schleck, and he did not have the legs that day. No one else was willing to take advantage of Schleck's bad day, so they all rode up in procession. It was a completely worthless stage, just p!ss poor.

That's not exactly true. Wiggins got dropped so clearly he didn't have the legs to attack. Andy attacked repeatedly, but couldn't drop Contador. Armstrong might possibly have had the legs to attack, but he had nothing to gain unless he could drop Andy which is to put it mildly, unlikely. The only person who could have done something, but didn't was Contador.

 

[BroDeal]

That's not exactly true. Wiggins got dropped so clearly he didn't have the legs to attack. Andy attacked repeatedly, but couldn't drop Contador. Armstrong might possibly have had the legs to attack, but he had nothing to gain unless he could drop Andy which is to put it mildly, unlikely. The only person who could have done something, but didn't was Contador.

I don't think Andy attacked Contador. I don't think he even thought he had a chance to go over Contador in the standings unless Contador had the worst day on a bike in his life. The plan seemed to be get Frank on the podium. Multiple times he went forward and looked around, waiting for Frank to come with him. Frank just did not have it that day. At other times, Andy was literally riding up and down the line of contenders, looking like he was bored with the pace. When it became obvious that Frank did not have it, everyone decided they would ride up in a group. It was like the stage was neutralized by tacit agreement.

Even Pellizotti rode away from the group.

 

[Cerberus]

I don't think Andy attacked Contador. I don't think he even thought he had a chance to go over Contador in the standings unless Contador had the worst day on a bike in his life. The plan seemed to be get Frank on the podium. Multiple times he went forward and looked around, waiting for Frank to come with him. Frank just did not have it that day. At other times, Andy was literally riding up and down the line of contenders, looking like he was bored with the pace. When it became obvious that Frank did not have it, everyone decided they would ride up in a group. It was like the stage was neutralized by tacit agreement.

Even Pellizotti rode away from the group.

Obviously Andy couldn't go past Contador, and obviously he was riding to help his brother, but Andy did have conversations with Contador and according to Andy it was about whether to work together for the stage win which Contador wouldn't. There's not much point in Andy towing Contador to the line and handing him the stage win..

 

[Escarabajo]

I don't think Andy attacked Contador. I don't think he even thought he had a chance to go over Contador in the standings unless Contador had the worst day on a bike in his life. The plan seemed to be get Frank on the podium. Multiple times he went forward and looked around, waiting for Frank to come with him. Frank just did not have it that day. At other times, Andy was literally riding up and down the line of contenders, looking like he was bored with the pace. When it became obvious that Frank did not have it, everyone decided they would ride up in a group. It was like the stage was neutralized by tacit agreement.

Even Pellizotti rode away from the group.

+1.

I agree. The stage was a little boring. I would have changed the Verbier spot with the Ventoux stage. Imagine, the peloton "would have blown to pieces". Contador would gained more time, LA would have lost more time. Hec, Wiggins looked strong that day, maybe he would have made the podium.

 

[onefastgear]

I thought I noticed that there was electrical tape obscuring Gesink's SRM computer on his TT bike. Did anyone else notice that?

Would there be a reason why you would not want your rider to see the data being generated, and is this a common practice?

 

[Rip:30]

I thought I noticed that there was electrical tape obscuring Gesink's SRM computer on his TT bike. Did anyone else notice that?

Would there be a reason why you would not want your rider to see the data being generated, and is this a common practice?

It messes with your head sometimes. Either "wow, too much power. need to slow down so I don't explode." or "wow, I'm a pathetic POS and should drop out of this race before i get lapped."

Better to just hammer and not try to over analyse data at the same time.